3M suing law firm for switching sides

The 3M Co. is suing one of its former law firms for switching sides – to aid in a suit against 3M that claims the company damaged the environment. The company is citing "betrayal" motivated by "greed" of the national firm Covington & Burling LLP, which is now helping the Minnesota attorney general in a suit against 3M.

The 3M Co. is suing one of its former law firms for switching sides – to aid in a suit against 3M that claims the company damaged the environment. The company is citing "betrayal" motivated by "greed" of the national firm Covington & Burling LLP, which is now helping the Minnesota attorney general in a suit against 3M.

The law firm handling a Minnesota suit against 3M has been ordered off the case because of a conflict of interest. The firm has previously represented 3M. The judge's ruling is a blow to the state's case involving chemicals formerly made by 3M that turned up in rivers, lakes, and groundwater.

The Porton Group and its partners filed a lawsuit claiming the Maplewood company failed to deliver on a promise to market a diagnostic test for hospitals. 3M made a multimillion-dollar deal to acquire the test in 2007, but much of the payout was tied to future sales. A year later, 3M had dropped the product, BacLite. The investment fund had sought $40 million in the suit. Both sides have claimed a victory in the case.

The Pioneer Press reports on a new twist in the legal fight between 3M and the Met Council and state of Minnesota. Last year the state and Met Council sued the company, saying PFCs it had manufactured had damaged the environment. Now 3M is suing the Met Council, claiming the council bears responsibility for PFCs in the river because the chemical is in treated wastewater.

Richard Holdrup is joining international law firm Dorsey & Whitney as its new chief financial officer, according to a company news release. Holdrup was most recently the CFO at a law firm based in San Francisco.

St. Paul-based Moore, Costello & Hart dissolved as of Monday, according to the Business Journal. The law firm was founded in 1855 and focused on small business consulting, nonprofit and health care law, estate planning, and commercial and construction litigation. U.S. Chief Justice Warren Burger was a partner before he was appointed by President Richard Nixon in 1969.

Allen Jacobson, a former CEO of the 3M Co. from 1986 to 1991 has died at 86. Jacobson, who championed research and development at 3M, started with the Maplewood-based manufacturing company after graduating from college in 1947.